Inhalers 'don't stop asthma development'

The use of inhalers does not prevent the development of chronic asthma in young children, although it does reduce breathing problems in asthmatics, a study suggests.

Currently, daily inhalation of corticosteroids is used both to help children with asthma breathe easier, and also to stave off the development of asthma in at-risk children.

However, research by the US-based National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) found that in pre-school children, treatment with corticosteroids had no effect on the development of asthma in later life.

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"This study was designed to see if we could stop the development of asthma in its tracks – while the lungs are still developing – in young children known to be at high risk," said NHLBI director Dr Elizabeth Nabel.

"Although this study shows that inhaled corticosteroids do not prevent chronic asthma, it provides clear evidence that inhaled corticosteroids benefit even some of our youngest patients."

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The study used 285 children aged between two and three years who were at high risk from asthma, looking at the effects of using asthma inhalers regularly over a two-year period. No significant effect was found on the development of asthma later on.

Asthma currently affects an estimated 5.2 million people in the UK, with over one million of them children.

The condition means that irritants such as pollen, dust and pollution cause the airways to swell and close up, often making breathing difficult.

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